Pet Grooming: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

Pets are not just animals that we keep in our home for our amusement. Over time, they become part and parcel of our families and we provide as much care and love to them as we do to any other family member. Grooming the pets is a vital activity that can help to improve overall health and well-being. Dogs and cats are the most common pets that are groomed. Pet grooming allows a person to develop a healthy relationship with his/her pet. It also helps a person to notice any flaw or physical anomaly that requires medical attention. This anomaly would not have been detected had the grooming not been done.

The different products that are used for grooming cats and dogs are shampoo (according to the age and species of the pet), a small bucket to create a nice lather, cotton balls, ear cleaner, parasite-control products, metal comb, brush, styptic powder, nail file, detangler or conditioner, toothbrush and animal toothpaste, safety scissors for hair trimming and clippers.

Cats and dogs get accustomed to being touched if they are groomed regularly. This will help your pet to socialize more. Pets generally shed hair everywhere. But grooming them regularly will reduce shedding and help you keep your home a little less dirty. A person can avoid his/her pet from developing a serious condition if he/she regularly checks the pet’s eyes, teeth and ears regularly. Brushing a pet’s teeth is essential as it has a direct bearing on its overall health. Finally, grooming a pet helps it to look better.

Grooming can be a pleasurable experience for both your pet and you as long as you do it right. The grooming process should be gently initiated by touching the pet’s body all over. The pet may appear to be uncomfortable at first but the person has to be gentle and patient to earn the pet’s trust. Brushing is one of the most important steps of grooming. A pet should be brushed and combed daily or at least multiple times a week. A pet feels good after brushing and bathing as it removes dead hair and tangles and also helps to distribute natural skin oils. A person should use a detangler on dry hair to loosen any knots.

Warm water should be used to bathe pets as, otherwise, they may experience chill and thus have a bad association to bathing in general. A fully body massage should be given while lathering up the shampoo and then it should be rinsed. A person can also use comb and conditioner through the coat before the final rinse. A person should be extra careful while clipping the pet’s nails. A person should hold the clipper near the nail and squeeze the nail before actually clipping it. This should be done to check for the quick – where the blood supply ends. Cutting the quick can be painful for your pet and it will also cause bleeding.

All pets, from the smallest rodents to large horses need their teeth to be brushed. Animal toothpaste which is suitable for your pet should be used. A person needs to take his/her pet to the veterinarian if the ears are dirty, look sore or smell bad. Otherwise a nice ear rub will be good enough.

All pets are eligible for grooming. Grooming not only improves the appearance of your pet but also helps to keep the pet in good health. It is therefore of utmost importance to regularly groom your pets. Otherwise they may develop some medical condition that can sometimes prove to be fatal.

There is no pet as such that does not require or who is ineligible for grooming. Some species of cats and dogs do not require as much grooming as some other species require. A pet may become temporarily ineligible for grooming if it is suffering from some kind of physical ailment.

Using shampoo may cause some side-effects like excessive scratching, scabs, hot spots, scaly patches and flaky skin. Some shampoos for dogs have strong ingredients like toluene, butyl acetate and ethyl acetate and these compounds can increase the risk of cancer in dogs. These compounds tend to increase the risks of organ failure. People who groom pets may also suffer from health problems like skin allergies and other problems.

If any physical anomaly is noticed after grooming, a person should immediately take his/her pet to the veterinary and make it undergo a thorough check-up. While cutting nails, a person accidentally may cut into the quick. Then the nail should be covered with styptic powder and pressure should be applied till the bleeding stops. A pet should always be dried properly after it has taken a bath.

Grooming is done to help a pet lead a healthy lifestyle and not to treat some condition or disease. Therefore there is no recovery period. A pet should be groomed on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis depending on its species, age and other conditions. A cut or bruise that a pet may suffer from grooming will generally be healed within a few days.

Grooming a dog can cost anything between Rs 1900 to Rs 5800. Pet shampoos can cost anything between Rs 180 to Rs 750. Pet conditioners are available for Rs 365. Brushes are available between Rs 100 – Rs 200.

The results are not permanent. Teeth should be brushed on a regular basis. Bathing, nail clipping and brushing should also be done regularly to keep the pet healthy and disease-free. It is a continuous process and the results of grooming are mostly temporary.

A person can groom his/her pet himself/herself or can take it to a veterinary for grooming. However, there is no alternative to this activity. If a person does not groom his/her pet, it may be at risk of developing certain diseases and its longevity can also be compromised. There is no other way to clean the pet’s coat or to clean his teeth but the normal, traditional way.